covert_historywikiaorg-20200215-history
Stern Hu
|other_names = 胡士泰 |known_for = Australian iron ore enterprise businessman jailed for stealing commercial secrets and receiving bribes |education = |alma_mater = Peking University |employer = formerly Rio Tinto |occupation = |home_town = |title = Chief Representative in Shanghai, Hamersley Iron Chinese Regional Manager |salary = |networth = |height = |weight = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |boards = |religion = |spouse = Julie Hu |partner = |parents = |relations = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} Stern Hu ( ; born 1963, in Tianjin) is an Australian businessman of Chinese origin. He was formerly an executive of Rio Tinto mining group in Shanghai, China prior to his trial. He graduated from Peking University before obtaining Australian citizenship in 1994.Matt O'Sullivan (11 July 2009) "Stern Hu 'thrown to the wolves' ", The Sydney Morning Herald Arrest in China Hu was detained on 5 July 2009 with three other Chinese colleagues by the Chinese government.Foreign Minister Media Release-Mr Stern Hu, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, 9 July 2009 After pleading guilty, on 29 March 2010 he was sentenced to 10 years' jail by a Chinese court for stealing commercial secrets and receiving bribes.John Garnaut & Sanghee Liu (29 March 2010) "Stern sentenced to 10 years by Chinese court ", The Age, Retrieved 29 March 2010 The issue has made a heavy impact in both China and Australia, making front-page appearances in most major media across the two nations.Chinese Sina News Information found stored on Hu’s personal laptop, seized by investigators, allegedly contains confidential business information of several dozen major business partners of Rio Tinto, including storage levels and sales plans, deemed much too specific and precise to have been acquired through legal means, but rather through bribery,Zhang Qi & Tong Hao (15 July 2009) "'Bribery is widespread' in Rio case ", China Daily where access to such information is limited even to employees within these companies. Hu is thus accused of having obtained such information through bribery and other illegal means, for massive corporate and personal benefits.Chinese Sina News 14 July 2009 The Australian government called in the Chinese Ambassador to Australia to discuss the situation, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, a former diplomat to China, under pressure to intervene on the issue on a higher profile.Rachel Pannett & Alex Wilson (14 July 2009) "Australia Presses China Diplomat on Worker Held ", Wall Street Journal Rudd refused to intervene on a personal level, and criticised the media and the opposition party for adding political bias to the issue. Nevertheless, Australian authorities were granted access to the arrested businessman. After the visit, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith declared that Hu is in good health. His arrest came a month after Rio Tinto rejected Chinese aluminium firm Chinalco's bid to double its stake in the miner to 18 per cent. However, Chinalco has denied any linkages between the two events.AAP (11 July 2009) "Stern Hu in good health ", The Sydney Morning Herald Trial Following the trial, Stern Hu was sentenced to 10 years jail.AAP, 29 March 2010, Hu given 'tough sentence', says Smith, Yahoo!7 News Hu and other convicted executives have also had their employment terminated by Rio Tinto Ltd.AAP, 29 March 2010, Rio Tinto fires Hu, other jailed execs, Yahoo!7 News It is reported that the motive behind the terminations is in regards to a breach of conduct, with Rio Tinto accepting the evidence provided showing instances of bribery. Rio Tinto also states that the trial will not affect business ties, according to its chief executive.AAP, 29 March 2010, China bond won't be broken: Rio Tinto Yahoo!7 News Official PRC government reactions Foreign affair spokesperson Qin Gang On 15 July 2009 Chinese official foreign affair spokesperson Qin Gang, when Qin Gang was referring to Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's reaction towards the alleged Spy case, in which Kevin Rudd warned the Chinese government of possible economic consequences: }} NAPSS (Jiangsu Province) official Jiang Ruqin Jiang Ruqin(蒋汝勤)(chief of the Secret Protection Bureau of Huai'an city, Jiangsu Province) ran an essay on China Secrecy On-Line, a Chinese-language Web site affiliated with the National Administration for Protection of State Secrets, or NAPSS,over the weekend (8 August 2008) that said Rio employees had engaged in deceit over six years that had led to Chinese steel mills overpaying for iron ore by CNY700 billion, or US$102 billion. But other NAPSS official stated: }} Jiang Ruqin wrote: }} Rio Tinto's Media Release Shanghai employees - Update 2 11 August 2009 Sam Walsh chief executive iron ore acknowledged the second visit to detained Rio Tinto employee, Stern Hu, by Australian Consular officials. Mr Walsh said, "We are pleased to hear that Stern appeared well and that he raised no welfare or medical concerns. Mr Walsh said the company remained surprised and concerned over the detention of its four employees, and said the company had still not been informed of any charges against them. He said, "We are still not aware of any evidence that would support their detention. Rio Tinto is committed to high standards in business integrity and takes its ethical responsibilities very seriously." "We continue to be concerned for the health and welfare of our three other employees detained at the same time as Stern Hu," he said. Mr Walsh thanked the Australian Government for the attention it is giving to this case and to Stern Hu's welfare. Australian media reactions Australian Broadcasting Corporation On 14 July 2009 Leigh Sales of the ABC, during the popular TV program Lateline interviewed two Australia's leading international-relations expert- Professor Hugh White, of the Australian National University, and Dr.Paul Monk, of Austhink Consulting, in which Hugh White said: Paul Monk: }} The Australian On 11 July 2009 Jennifer Hewett, National affairs correspondent of The Australian reported: }} See also *Rio Tinto espionage case *Xue Feng References External links *China iron and steel Association *Experts discuss China's rise, an Australian ABC Lateline TV program (video) Category:1963 births Category:2009 in China Category:Australian businesspeople Category:Chinese emigrants to Australia Category:Espionage scandals and incidents Category:Living people Category:People from Tianjin vi:Stern Hu zh:胡士泰